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Tricorn hats were a popular fashion in the colonial period. Some were laced so that the wearer could lower the sides to provide protection from sun, wind and rain. This hat, owned by Colonel Joseph Stebbins Jr. of Deerfield, Massachusetts, is made of felted beaver hair. Some American and British soldiers wore tricorns as part of their uniform, although units such as British Grenadiers and American Light Infantrymen wore different headgear. Military units often tucked colorful pieces of cloth called cockades into their tricorns to distinguish them from other companies or regiments.